Beauty Looks to the Past to See the Future

Posted: February 13, 2013

The beauty industry is forever changing and forever reinventing itself, and while predicting trends isn’t easy, it is important to look back at the past to see what inspires reinvention of older concepts or ingredients—today’s BB creams, mineral makeup and nail art, for example. While reinvention is based on updating beloved product concepts, one factor to consider when developing new beauty products—or a new brand—is the shift in the cultural and economic climate. What will the face of the future consumer look like, and what are their expectations in terms of beauty product performance and presentation?

These are the topics that will be discussed during “The Business of Change: Reinventing Past Beauty Hits into Tomorrow’s Trends” session at Cosmoprof North America on Sunday, July 14, 2013. Moderated by Jeff Falk, editor in chief of GCI, the presentation will also include panelists Ben Bennett of HatchBeauty, Ron Robinson of BeautyStat.com, and Jonathan Ford of Pearlfisher.

Bennett, founder and creative director with HatchBeauty, is recognized throughout the beauty industry for his ability to anticipate and set trends. Bennett will present part of his 2013–2014 trend report focusing on the influence of technology on today’s younger consumers. The reinvention of classic product concepts, forgotten delivery mechanisms and iconic brands in the health and beauty space has been heavily influenced by social media and new technology, introducing the “old” to a new generation.

The founder and CEO of online beauty community and social media agency BeautyStat.com, Robinson is a veteran product development executive who has worked for such leading beauty companies such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, L'Oréal, Avon and Revlon. At BeautyStat.com, Robinson works with beauty brands and agencies to help them reach influential beauty consumers. Using his insights and experience he will present new product development trends from an ingredient, delivery and claims perspective as part of the panel.

And as a founding partner and chief creative officer of Pearlfisher, Ford helped create a world-class brand design agencies with studios in New York and London. Pearlfisher creates award-winning and agenda-setting design for iconic brands like Starbucks, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Absolut, as well as creating some of the most exciting challenger brands of the future, including Nude Skincare, Help Remedies and Green & Black's. In his presentation, Ford will discuss macro-trends on how the beauty consumer is evolving and what the definition of beauty will be in the future. He will also explore how these shifts will impact product categories and consumption patterns.

Cosmoprof North America will take place July 14–16, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.